Ive been on the search for a delicious vegan burger patty recipe for a while now. I’ve tried many versions from books and blogs, only to find them too bland, too crumbly, too dry, or just too …meh… and so I kept on looking, with good faith and hope in my heart that surely there was a gem of a recipe that i was missing! Little did I expect the nicest vegan burger recipe I’ve discovered to date, to come right out of my newly vegetarian little sister’s head a few nights ago. 

Yes lovely people, this is quite the most delicious meat-free burger I may have ever tasted!  Its very easy and if you are a newby vegetarian or vegan perhaps your missing the taste of an actual beef burger.. and well because this is made with brown lentils, its actually the closest texture to a real beef burger that a vegan burger could get! And even if you’re neither vegan nor vegetarian but in the mood for something different from the norm, this is also a burger you’ll happily devour!

Anyway, I won’t have you wait any longer because I know that if you’re here, you’re here for one reason only… to make the best Vegan burger you’ve ever tasted!! 

Heres the secret recipe and please let me know if you try it! 

INGREDIENTS – makes 12-14 burger patties

600g brown lentils (cooked, drained and cooled)

1 225g can of chickpeas

1 red pepper roasted and chopped

3 cloves garlic

1 white onion chopped

1 grated carrot

Homemade Taco seasoning (ingredients below)

Squeeze of lemon juice

2 tbsps nutritional yeast (if you’re not vegan you could sub parmesan)

1/2 cup gluten free Oat meal flakes (processed into flour)

1 tbsp oil (for frying)

Taco mix

1 tsp cayenne pepper

1 tsp garlic powder

2 tsp cumin powder

1 tsp smoked paprika

1/2 tsp oregano (optional)

1 tsp dried coriander 

1/4 tsp black pepper

METHOD;

Mix all the ingredients together in a big bowl (except the oil and the oat flour) and form into nice big patties. Lightly coat each patty in the oat flour and put into a hot frying pan until golden brown on both sides. They can also be baked in the oven until golden brown on 200degrees.

Then dress them up as you would your favourite burger! Ideas include, avocado, mustard, tomatoes, grilled veggies, a gluten free bun, crispy lettuce! Whatever your heart desires!! 

I really hope you enjoy this one!! 

The one person who stood out most for me at the recent Golden Globes was the beautiful bubbly actress Kate Hudson. At 36 she honestly looks better than I’ve ever seen her look and her sculpted arms and stomach were on justified display in a sparkling Michael Kors gown. Now I know she’s the walking poster board right now for her athletic clothing company Fabletics so it’s only right that she herself look fit and toned, but because she’s looking more shaped up than I ever remember her being in her younger years, I was immediately curious as to what her exercise of choice is these days, especially considering she’s also a mother of two now.

Turns out Kate is not one of those celebs who jumps on every new fitness trend that comes along in an aim to stay in shape as she has stuck to the same exercise and instructor for the last 15 years. The secret to her svelte body and most importunely her amazing abs is the almost 100 year old fitness system Pilates, which she has been practicing for a number of years with her trainer Nicole Stuart. She apparently does three pilates sessions a week sometimes preceded by a mile run, apart from Pilates she says she adds in whatever she “feels” like doing on a given day

You know, it just depends on if I have time to workout and what my mood is. Like sometimes, I’ll just want to stretch and do more of a hot yoga-type situation, sometimes I want to sweat it out and do more cardio, spinning. But my go-to’s are Brazilian Butt Lifts—it’s just really, really concentrating on your core and your butt—and Pilates. – Bazaar 2015

She’s also quick to say she believes that staying in shape is not how long or intense the workouts are, but rather doing exercise consistently, which means moving everyday. She says it can be as little as 20 minutes or as long as 40 minutes but once you exercise everyday, thats what really makes the difference. Its making exercise a habit and part of your everyday life. Another love of hers is skipping as she loves how she works up a sweat in no time at all and she usually does three sets of three minutes. 

Overall Kate’s workout routine is very much designed to keep her limbs long limber and toned and her core is her main focus as she believes thats where true strength comes from. She adds in cardio for cardiovascular fitness as well but over all the exercises she does all seem to be quite lengthening while also strengthening. 

She is also a believer in getting your workouts done first thing in the morning as it becomes harder to motivate yourself as the day goes on. Of curse everyone is different and evening workouts may be other peoples preference.

As for her diet which we all know at this point is a huge contributing factor to health and the overall tone of the body is mainly alkaline. An alkaline diet is designed around eating foods that create an alkaline rather than acidic ph in your diet and I talk more about it in my article about quitting sugar. The main things is 80 percent of your diet is from eating lots of veggies , fruit and alkaline grains, and only 20 percent is based around acidic foods like meat, dairy, legumes, coffee and alcohol. Kate does say she mostly sticks to a gluten, dairy and sugar free diet which certainly allows her to have most of her calories comes from alkaline food. She also makes a point of saying that she makes the alkaline diet her daily habitual way of eating so that she can freely and without guilt indulge when she wants to on nice food at restaurants and on good wine. Again, like most actresses who stay in great shape, she seems to employ balance when it comes to her diet.

Overall Kate’s approach to diet and fitness delivers a lot of oxygen to her cells. Pilates as her mainstay workout and eating an alkaline diet allows a lot of o2 into the body and reduces toxins and acid in the system which leads to a a light toned body and a very youthful glow, which Kate so obviously has. 

So if you want sculpted arms and abs like Kates, get yourself to a pilates (or even yoga) class three times a week (or do videos from home if you’re on a budget) and fill your plates mostly with fruits and veggies! Doesn’t sound too hard does it?  

By Salta96 (Own work) [CC BY-SA 4.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Ive been hearing the name Gigi Hadid a lot lately… For those of you who have not yet heard of her, she’s the beautiful young step-daughter of the music maestro David Foster and his model wife Yolanda.  The main reason I suppose she’s the name on everyones like recently is that she is one of the newest Victoria’s Secret models and she’s a friend of another young beauty and member of the Kardashian dynasty Kendall Jenner as well as pop princess Taylor Swift, which I suppose is enough merit to warrant you being the newest “it” girl in pop culture.

As I do with most people in the public eye who are getting a lot of attention for their physique, I did my usual little research on what Gigi Hadid’s routine is for staying in shape. Now granted she is only 20 years old, so she has youth on her side, but I’m sure we still all know that at 20 years old you’re not necessarily in such fantastic shape that you can walk a VS catwalk, so I figured it was worth looking at what she does to stay in shape. And the interesting thing I found while reading through countless interviews with her is that her secret comes down to one word really… one word that to be honest is the secret to achieving anything worthwhile in life

Discipline. 

I remember when I was in India learning Yoga, this was the most important life lesson I learned. My yogi teacher said “nothing important can be achieved without discipline” and that has stuck with me, so it was interesting to see this 20 year old young model using this word again and again to explain how she stays in shape.

And she’s right. It takes tremendous discipline at any age to maintain a very fit, toned figure and to stick to a clean diet. You have to be dedicated and commit to doing it every day of your life , or for as long as you desire certain results.

It seems Gigi has good grounding in discipline due to her mother Yolanda, and no doubt her stepfather too, who is one of the most successful composer/producers of all time. According to her mother, Gigi was a dedicated volleyball athlete all while growing up as well as engaging in horse riding for years, and getting up at 5 and 6 am for shows. This all built the foundations for her from a young age to have that discipline and focus to keep herself on top of her game.

She now lives in New York and has turned to boxing as her method of staying in shape. According to her trainer Rob Piela ( a former pro fighter) Gigi engages in body weight training, jump rope cardio training (to maintain her slender legs) ,and a three to one boxing ratio (three minutes sparring, and one minute core exercises).

Her workout routine sounds tough but I guess she probably has developed a very strong mental focus from her years as an athlete which she is now benefiting from when it comes to staying motivated to keep fit.

She also seems to have a balanced approach to diet. She seems to give credit to clean eating once again for maintaining her healthy appearance but is clear to say that if you are committed to eating healthy and working out every day then you should allow yourself a cheat day in order to keep some balance in your life.

“Yeah, I think the biggest thing I always say is eat clean to stay fit, and then have a cheat day to stay sane.” – Gigi Hadid

 She goes regularly to a a cafe nearby where she lives in New York called Juice press and as well as making a lot of her own food, which is certainly one of the best ways to keep your food clean and healthy. She admits her cheat meal is cheese burgers, and allowing herself to eat things she loves every so often helps to keep her on track. 

As always the secrets to Gigi’s beautiful body are not rocket science, she eats clean food, allows herself a break every week, exercises almost daily with high intensity exercises like boxing and jump rope, and most importantly she is disciplined about the whole thing. Thats the “not so magic” formula to most great bodies, and undoubtedly if she keeps it up she’ll maintain that body for many many years to come.

My sister announced over breakfast this morning that our small country of Ireland is the 4th worst in the world for sugar consumption. We are behind only the U.S, Germany and The Netherlands. Initially I found this surprising, having lived in the US and having also toured Germany quite a bit, I honestly didn’t think we consumed as much sugars as either places… the U.S adds sugar to just about anything they possibly can, and Germany has bakeries stocked full of the most drool worthy sweet pastries at every corner in every town, so I can understand how hard that may be too avoid, but I guess I didn’t think that there was as much of a sugar culture here in Ireland… until I thought more about it. 

When i think about it, pretty much every time I’ve sat down at a café for lunch here at home, (which is for some reason always later than normal lunch time, around 3pm) I have witnessed many of those around me sipping on sugary coffees and indulging in very large slices of cake. I guess Im forgetting the culture of the Irish to sit down and have an early evening coffee or tea break, and for the most part these beverages are sweetened with one to two tablespoons of sugar, and then of course it would be ludicrous to have tea without having a slice of something sweet, or at least a biscuit. Heck most places give you a little biscuit on the side when your order a coffee or tea. I too was guilty of this habit in the past. I remember from childhood to my teenage years it was just “normal” to make a cup of tea for everyone and have a slice of madeira cake or a chocolate bun or muffin every single day. And thats where the problem stems mainly from, the fact that it is part of the culture and so its being consumed every single day. 

Not to mention the other hidden sugars in things people consider healthy for them like cereal, and flavoured yoghurts, condiments and sauces for dinners like store bought tomato sauce. All this on top of the copious amounts of tea we Irish drink, most usually sweetened with one to two teaspoons of sugar at each go, it starts to add up. I can see how yes indeed we may be in fact consuming far more sugar than we even realise. 

I personally have been aware of the sugar problem for a few years now and how it was effecting my health, so I pretty much eliminated refined sugars from the diet about five years ago. I turned to making desserts and sweet treats using dates, and agave syrup and honey. While these can also still be culprits of adding too much sugar to the system, it allowed my tastes buds to adjust to things with a lot less sugar. Things I find very sweet now, others may think are not even close to being sweet enough, but thats only because over time, Ive allowed my palate to adapt. I eat plain yoghurt instead of sweetened, I never have sugar in my tea or coffee, I sweetened porridge with stevia or rice syrup and I make “sweets” from dates and other unrefined sugars to avoid having too much in my diet. I’ve even decided to go a step further this year and try to go without any kinds of sugars (except fruits) for most of the week, only occasionally having any dessert.  Its not an easy thing to do, as believe me I know, sugar is incredibly addictive, but the truth is, is that we have to make the change because being a sugar culture is killing us! It makes our bodies highly acidic which is perfect breeding ground for diseases like cancer and diabetes, infections, and candida. We have to start to choose a more alkaline diet to nourish our bodies (which would be packed mostly full of vegetables)! In order to maintain the proper PH of our body 80percent of our diet should be alkaline and  only 20 percent acidic. Which means 80 percent of what we eat should be coming from fruit and vegetables and only 20 percent from animal products, legumes, grains, teas, coffees and alcohol (if you’d even include the last 3 at all). Disease cannot exist in a properly alkalised body. Full stop.

We need to start ditching the sugar and other acidic food stuffs and turn more to our plant friends.. fruits and veggies for our nutrition. 

While there is also a debate about whether fruits contain too much sugar, this is not the same as added refined sugar. The sugar you consume from eating an apple as opposed to a piece of cake react very differently in your body. Fruit is alkalising, cake is acidic. Don’t be afraid to eat fruit. Its natures dessert! 

Made with Rice syrup and stevia- a dessert low in sugar

Here are 5 tips to ditching the sugar this year

1. Start by weening off any sugar you add yourself to teas, coffees, porridge or other things you make at home. If you take two teaspoons of sugar in something, cut gradually down to one, and then to none. Or replace with something that won’t effect your insulin levels like sugar does, stevia is a great substitute. You can find this at local health stores.
2. Read the labels of the food your buying in the shop. If sugar, maltodextrin, fructose or dextrose is close to the top of the ingredient list you can be sure the product is a sugar bomb. Try to choose things that have no sugar in them. Buy plain yoghurt instead of sweetened stuff and the sweeten yourself at home with a little organic honey or stevia. At least you can then monitor how much is going in.
3. Try baking your favourite cookies or cakes using alternative sweeteners like rice syrup, or coconut palm sugar or even organic honey instead of refined sugar. I find dates are a wonderful way to sweeten things when you’re trying to adjust to a less sugar lifestyle.
4. When your out at a café or restaurant, skip dessert, or what I do is I carry a fruit and nut bar, or a naked bar, or a healthy sweet in my bag and then have that with my tea or coffee. No one has said anything to me yet. 
5. Choose fruit. Start falling in love with fruit. Its natures most perfect food, packed full of nutrients and vitamins its designed to make you fell good, designed to give you healthy. If you’re heading to the movies, or on a car trip, pick up a pack of fresh strawberries or chopped mangos and chow down on them instead of store bought sweets. I also make my own bliss balls from dates when I go to the movies to avoid buying peanut M&Ms. This also saves money because cinemas way overcharge for these things! Healthy and rich ! Yes! 

These are just a few simple tips to get your started. Of course theres so many more things to help you along a refined sugar free path, but the most important thing is to start with baby steps. a little bit at a time because the worst thing is to become overwhelmed as usually the first thing you’ll turn to is sweets to make you feel better about being overwhelmed. Believe me I know! Also have a look through my site for recipes of desserts that are all made without any refined sugars (like the one in the picture above), these desserts have helped me through the hard times haha! I also recommend getting Sarah Wilsons book “I quit sugar” . Its a great foundation to ease you into the sugar free world and its full of lovely naturally sweetened recipes! The Lemon raspberry slices I made in the pictures above were adapted from a recipe of hers! 

Any questions please comment below.

The beautiful Emily Ratajowski rose to fame a mere two years ago after appearing rather scantily clad in Robin Thicke’s music video for the biggest song of that year Blurred Lines. Truthfully i had never seen her before in my life or heard of her until I saw Ben Affleck’s movie Gone Girl (I don’t watch tv much) and I didn’t realise that she had already been making quite the name for herself. I guess living in rural Ireland you tend to find things out quite a bit later than the rest of the world! 

One of the obvious factors of her sex appeal, apart from her good looks, is that she has very enviable body proportions. She seems to be able to maintain a very slim frame while also having substantially big boobs. Sort of every girls dream body I suppose if we are to be honest! There is a lot of debate on whether said boobs are real, but nonetheless Emily still has long toned limbs and a lovely flat belly so it was worth checking out what she claims to do to maintain her figure.

On doing some research, and listening to some interviews with her, I’ve come to quite respect miss Ratajowski as its obvious she’s more than a pretty face. She has created a sort of feminist “empowering women” image from her affinity with stripping off and getting naked. Somehow I believe that she truly sees a woman’s choice to be publicly naked as something that should be celebrated rather than looked upon as skanky or dirty or slutty. And I have to say that I do merit this notion as I think as a society, especially from growing up in catholic Ireland, women in general are in bad need of shedding this guilt around their bodies and around sexuality and I think thats what Emily is trying to portray. Anyway, apart from that, many women are looking to find out what way the actress/model is eating and exercising to achieve her body and just as she herself believes others shouldn’t copy her because what works for her is individual to her, I also must stress that unless your body type is similar to Emily’s, your body will probably never look like hers just by copying what she does. And i think thats important for girls to understand. 

I know myself that I am a mix of a mesomorph and endomorph (fitness terms for body types- you can check yours here) and so I would probably be best doing workout routines and eating foods suitable for this body type. Celebs that I could look to would be Beyonce, Jennifer Lopez, Jennifer Lawrence etc. 

So I would stress that if you desire a body similar to Emily’s its probably more possible if you already have a similar body type, which I would think would be ectomorph as her limbs are very slim and narrow. 

Body types like this do not need much exercise to stay in great shape ( believe me i know.. my sister is one and I’ve envied that quality of hers all my life ) 

They also tend to choose rather light healthy foods naturally.

Emily claims not to workout much and I believe she probably doesn’t have to. She says she does YOGA about three times a week, which with her body type would be perfect for maintaining her long lean limbs, and she also says she goes hiking which is a wonderful form of cardio. It builds muscle while also keeping cardiovascular fitness up and wouldn’t be too taxing for an ectomorph body type like Emily.

YOGA AND MODERATE CARDIO LIKE HIKING ARE GREAT FOR ECTOMORPHS.

I would recommend doing a slower yoga form like Hatha over vigorous types like vinyasa or ashtanga as they can cause too much weight loss for already naturally thin people. (Emily was slated for appearing too thin at last years Met Gala but its an easy thing to slip underweight for these body types so its not fair or nice to give them such a hard time.)

As regards her diet she seems to keep a balanced outlook on it all with choosing clean foods like berries and coconut for breakfast but including red meat in her diet for Iron purposes. I believe she eats quite healthily year round but allows herself a cupcake or croissant for breakfast if the mood strikes her. From my perspective it seems she is quite in tune with her body, and due to a fast metabolism she can luckily be a bit more lenient about what she eats than other body types!

So if Emily’s body is your dream body, I strongly suggest you only use her as inspiration and motivation if your own body type is similar to hers. Choose long leaning exercises that don’t involve too much cardio like Yoga, Pilates, Barre ( a lot of Victoria secret models also have this body type) and you can include some light weight training for more muscle definition. Make sure you’re eating enough calories for your body type and getting them from clean foods like fruits, veggies, lean proteins like fish, chicken, beans and lentils, plain yoghurt and avocados. Oh and this body type more than any needs lots and lots of water! 

Any questions don’t hesitate to comment below!!

If you’re one of the 90 or so million instagram fans I’m pretty sure you’ve come across something that looks like the above picture. Dubbed “smoothie bowls” they have become quite the breakfast of choice for the healthy eating community on there.

I think they’re popularity is mainly due to their visual appeal rather than the practicality of putting a smoothie into a bowl. Well at least thats what I think. Of course I think they are gorgeous and the perfect coloured canvas for an array of delectable fruits and raw treats,  but when it comes down to actually eating them I usually throw all the fruit back in a blender after the photo has been taken and drink it as would a normal smoothie drinker.. from a glass ! 

Nevertheless, I will probably continue taking pictures of smoothie bowls just because they are so pretty and it feels like Im back in art class when Im decorating them with various fruits!! 

And since we’re on the subject of smoothies, here’s a small list of the many benefits of turning your whole fruits into delicious liquid meals;

1.Its one of easiest ways to get our daily recommended fruits and veggies into our bodies…throw fruits and veggies into a blender and voila… you’re eating a cocktail of important nutrients and vitamins all in one go! Whats not to love about that! I personally would choose to throw a half bag of spinach in a smoothie, instead of sitting down to a plate of it any day!!

2. It gives your liver a little break and so your body has time to detox. Because your digestion isn’t focused on breaking down the food you’re consuming ( as the blender has already done much of that job for you) you’re digestion can take a much needed break and your organs like the Liver, which is also the most important, has a chance to focus on other things that that need its attention, like eliminating toxins. Plus all that fibre from the fruits and veggies only helps everything move smoothly through your digestive system. Plus you can even add greens like kale and dandelion to really boost the detox properties of smoothies!

3.Its the best and easiest way to refuel after a workout. Smoothies allow the body to get all the nutrients and vitamins it needs after a tough workout much faster than through a solid meal. Plus its so easy to add a good quality protein powder to help feed the muscles you just worked s hard! 

4.Beauty benefits are seen in the hair, skin and nails… with all those vitamins and nutrients getting into your system on a daily basis it won’t be long before your hair is silky and shiny, your nails strong and your skin smooth and radiant!!

5.And last but not least, its a perfect healthy meal to have on the go. In this fast paced world we are currently in where everyone has more to do and not enough time to do it, the smoothie has become the perfect fast meal that is made within minutes and can be taken with you on the go. I recently got the Nutri Ninja Slim for Christmas and it allows me to blend everything in the same to go cup that i can take with me out the door. Perfect!! 

So there you go, whether you decide to fancy up your smoothie by putting it into a bowl like is the latest instagram craze , or you simply blend it all and take it to go (which is definitely the easier method) Smoothies are in short, little meal miracles!

Love,

But anyway, although we can tell from this video she posted on her Instagram recently that she is as dedicated to working out as ever, I found her changes have mainly been coming from her diet. I knew she had recently tried the 22 day vegan “diet”, and loved it so much she ended up setting up her own vegan food delivery service called “22 days nutrition”, but as far as I can tell from various sources she is actually still following the lifestyle as she has found it works for her.

First off, let me say, lovely Beyonce is what we would call in the fitness world an “endomorph” body type (you can find out your body type here) . The females of this type are usually curvy, soft, very womanly shaped and can often find it hard to lose weight or keep weight off even when they are working out and following a good diet. Beyonce has said in the past she struggles with her weight and has yo-yo dieted for years. She famously underwent the master cleanse (lemon water with maple syrup and cayenne) a few years back for the role of Dreamgirls, and while she looked glowing, I have to say that it’s really is not meant to be used for shedding pounds and the weight one loses is not sustained. (I do think the master cleanse has its benefits as a detox but not as a weight loss method.)  So I think the reason Beyonce may have taken to the vegan eating so well is because actually it’s more of a lifestyle than a diet. There are no calories restrictions, contrary to popular belief vegan foods are and can be extremely delicious and filling, and they are packed with enzymes and nutrients which help the body work optimally.

Beyonce seems to now believe in this way of eating so much that she has written the foreword for Marco Borges new book “22 day revolution” who she claims is the man responsible for having her revolutionise her meat-eating ways…

“What I discovered,’ writes Beyonce, ‘was increased energy, better sleep, weight-loss, improved digestion, clarity, and an incredibly positive feeling for my actions and the effects it would have on those around me and the environment.”

I myself, have been vegan/vegetarian for years and I can attest to feeling the same benefits from this way of eating. Plus it is nice to know you’re helping the earth and the environment!

The following is an example of what Beyonce would eat on a day of following a Vegan Lifestyle that I came across on the Daily Mail and I thought I’d share it with you all so that you could possibly give it a go too…

DAY 1

Breakfast: Vanilla chia pudding with 1 cup fresh berries

Lunch: Crunchy red cabbage and green apple sesame slaw with 1 cup steamed, cubed sweet potato (or one small potato, baked)

Afternoon snack: 1/4 cup hemp hummus with fresh vegetables (carrots, celery, romaine leaves, bell pepper, etc.)

Dinner: Black bean and quinoa salad with quick cumin dressing

Dessert: Dark chocolate

DAY 2

Breakfast: Smoothie with 1 cup almond milk, 1 large frozen banana, 1-2 tablespoons almond butter, 1 serving of 22 Days protein powder, and a heaping cup of leafy greens (spinach, chard, kale, etc.)

Lunch: 1 brown rice tortilla (Food For Life brand) or two gluten-free corn tortillas with 1/4 cup hemp hummus, fresh or roasted red bell pepper, sliced cucumbers and a handful of greens. Serve with steamed vegetables as desired, or a small side salad

Afternoon snack: 22 Days bar

Dinner: Zucchini pasta with cherry tomatoes, sweet potato, basil, and hemp ‘parmesan’

Dessert: Banana soft serve

DAY 3

Breakfast: Quinoa breakfast porridge with 1 cup fresh berries

Lunch: Large salad with at least three cups of greens, whichever veggies you like, 3 tablespoons pumpkin or hemp seeds, and a dressing of choice (from the dressing options in the recipe index)

Afternoon snack: 4 tablespoons hemp hummus with fresh vegetables (carrots, celery, romaine leaves, bell pepper, etc.)

Dinner: Small baked sweet potato with a tablespoon of melted coconut oil, half a cup of organic black beans, and steamed greens as desired (or a fresh side salad)

Dessert: 2 raw brownie bites

Have you tried a vegan lifestyle or even a day of eating just vegan foods?

If so please share with me your experiences in the comments below!!

Love,

Breakfast has always been my favourite meal of the day. Even back when I used to keep it simple with a bowl of porridge or a boiled egg and toast, I always just loved the fresh potential of early mornings, sitting quietly, only a few steps out of the nights web of dreams,  savouring every bite of nourishment the earth had blessed and continues to bless me with.

I have to admit it was definitely instagram that inspired me to get more creative with my morning meals, countless pictures of frozen banana parfaits and decadent bowls of fruit and chocolate “mousse” and basically things that look like they should be on a haagen dazs café menu.

I have to say though there’s something about turning breakfast into mini works of art that sets my day off just right. It inspires me for everything else in my day and I almost feel a little accomplished. More than anything I think its a channel for my creativity and what better way to start each day then with a little creative arts?

Not to mention, theres nothing to get one out of bed quicker than knowing the first meal of the day is going to nourish my body, keep me body beautiful and taste as good as dessert!

If you’d like to try creating your own indulgent breakfast here is the recipe for the Mango Coconut Chia Parfaits pictured above.

RECIPE

Coconut Chia pudding

• 1 cup coconut milk
• 2 tbsp chia seeds
• 1/2 tsp vanilla powder or essence
• pinch of salt

Mix ingredients together and let stand until chia seeds puff up and absorb the coconut milk.

Mango Puree

• 1 ripe mango
• 2 frozen bananas

Blend together until smooth and creamy.

Layer the coconut chia and the mango puree and decorate with some goji berries and fresh mint sprigs!

Enjoy!

Okay, so Im a day late posting but better late then never right?

I also couldn’t hold back on sharing the pancakes I created yesterday as they were undoubtedly one of the best batches of pancake’y goodness I’ve ever made.

So here they are…. my gluten free pancake tower in honor of pancake (shrove) tuesday! Best invention the bible ever had ! Kidding

They were really easy to make, I used

3 cups of my gluten free flour mix  (rice, tapioca, potato)

3 organic eggs

2 1/2 cups of coconut milk (or other milk of your choice)

Pinch of salt

All whisked together until there’s little bubbles (this will help them turn out fluffy).

Now the secret to perfect pancakes from the moment the first bit of batter hits the pan is to make the pan really really hot, and then you can test it with a small drop of water. If it sizzles and disappears, it is hot enough. Now you must TURN DOWN THE HEAT. To somewhere between low and medium. Wait a minute before adding some coconut oil or butter and add the batter to the pan.

Once your pancakes are made you can layer them with some homemade “nutella” , strawberries, bananas, whatever you desire, and top with fun things like goji berries, cacao nibs, and I used some organic yoghurt drizzled with honey!

Hope you all had a pancake-alicious day!!  

Candice Swanepoel @angelcandices

Although this blog is titled Eat Like An Actress, some of the most enviable women in the world, to most girls, are without doubt the VS models and well, models in general. I am always interested in discovering what these girls do to achieve that glowing healthy look we all strive for and when I find a celebrity in general whose diet and fitness routine is worthy of sharing with my readers, I don’t mind stepping outside the “actress” box and sharing their methods with you. Plus, models are just a different form of actress aren’t they? They too play a character in their daily line of work and today’s model is not different. She plays the part of an angel. A victoria’s secret angel to be precise.

Candice Swanepoel is a gorgeous South African Model best known for her strutting her stuff down the Victoria’s Secret runways and posing in exotic locations in beautiful bikinis. Out of all the VS modes she is most certainly one of the general female populations all time favorites. Her gorgeous lean body, dewy skin and long blonde hair are undoubtedly worthy of admiration and I was of course curious as to how she achieves that glowing look.

Many people complain that some VS models, including Candice are underweight which must stem from them starving themselves, but the majority of them are extremely tall ectomorphs. An ectomorph is one of three body types (mesomorph and endomorph being the other two) which is naturally thin and usually has a very fast metabolism meaning they burn calories very quickly. My sister is an ectomorph and all her life has been a certain body weight that against “normal standards” would be considered underweight, but she is undoubtedly one of the healthiest people I know. She has always been quite active and eats a very healthy diet. She can eat far more than me (an endomorph) and she never gains weight. So I just want to clear that up for those that criticize the models for not eating anything hence that’s why they are so thin. That is not usually the case. Especially I imagine not for a busy model like Candice who would need constant calories to supply her fast metabolism in order to sustain her energy so she can keep working.

According to Candice, she avoids “strenuous running and cardio” as she  burns calories too quickly, and sticks more to using her own body weight in resistance training and pilates/ballet/yoga style exercises which elongate her muscles and build strength. She focuses on quality not quantity, in that she performs each exercise is a very slow and controlled manner looking for the “burn”.

“The slower you work out, the more you feel it, and the more you really build,” she explains. “A lot of people just want to do their workouts quickly, and it doesn’t work. The workouts I do—I feel each muscle that I’m working. Because I’ve been working out so many years, it’s a machine that I know, so my trainer will be like ‘OK, we’re gonna work out this part, ‘ so I know the angles and the way I need to do it.”

She also focuses on developing her balance which is required for her job, so she doesn’t fall in high heels on the runway. Here is an example of the kind of exercises she does with her trainer Justin Gelband

She exercises three times a week and for the two weeks before the VS fashion show at Christmas she works out everyday leading up to it.

She occasionally likes to mix it up with some light boxing for her arms and core.

“For me, mixing workouts like boxing, jump rope, and basic ballet works best,” Swanepoel says. “Boxing works my arms and core, ballet elongates my muscles, and jumping rope is a great way to warm up before any workout.”

Of course she engages in activities as much as she can on a daily basis and as with any person enjoys exercise that doesn’t feel like exercise.

“My favorite exercise is something that doesn’t feel like I’m exercising at all, such as swimming in the ocean or playing paddle ball.”

When it comes to her diet, Candice generally has a healthy lifestyle and has said she has always sought out fresh clean foods because that is what she genuinely enjoys eating.

For me, I’ve always had a healthy lifestyle. If I eat something that’s not fresh, I feel it immediately, so I crave good food,” she told OK! Magazine last year. “I crave meat. I grew up on a dairy and beef farm, so I crave that. I don’t cut anything out, and I just work out more.”

Candice has is many interviews stated she prefers organic fresh fruits and veg over any processed junk food and seems to follow a sensible daily diet where she consciously chooses more nourishing foods that fuel her body and help it glow from the inside out.

So to sum up, we must remember Candice has an ectomorph body type and so the workouts she chooses suit her body.

****She focuses on mostly resistance training 3 times a week intermixed with light boxing sequences and ballet.

****And she maintains a healthy wholesome diet throughout the year eating fresh organic meat, fish, veg and fruit.

I would recommend anyone looking to follow a routine similar to Candices to take up Yoga or Pilates and light weight classes as these workouts are closest to the kind of training Candice does.

Follow Candice on her instagram at @angelcandices